Fluctuating Hearts
by Desperatembrace
Summary: A series of oneshots for my friend, Alorix. Second story: Calculator. "Why did the whole hard-working persona have to be such a turn-on? He'd obviously been hanging out with Gilbert and Francis too much." AU, Yaoi, Language
1. Pool

I would like to start off by saying **I don't know a damned thing about Hetalia.** Now, please don't take this the wrong way. I've watched a bit of it. I've liked what I watched. But I'm probably not nearly as obsessed as some of the people who will end up reading this. I might mess up your favorite character, and for that, I'm sorry.

Now the question is: Why are you writing this if you don't know much about Hetalia?

You want to know? Well, the answer is, put quite simply, my friend. A little while after Christmas my friend told me that I had promised to write a fanfiction over the pairing of her choosing. (When I promised this, I have no idea or recollection, but I'll do it nonetheless.) So, after doing a bit of looking into the pairing (so as not to fuck it up too bad), I decided to write this string of oneshots to be posted during the month of her birthday.

So. Now that I'm at the end of my long, and doubtlessly annoying, and/or unneeded/possibly unread explanation, please don't judge me too hard if I mess up the characterization or butcher the fandom that you guys know and love. (Also: I'm skewing the characterization in order to make it according to my friend's tastes... so some of it _is_ purposeful.)

Just a quick note on the whole thing: this is a series of random oneshots, based upon or spun around a keyword, provided to me by my friend. Sort of like detailed drabbles. But I don't really like drabbles--they're just too short for my taste.

Lastly, Alorix, seeing as this was written for you, you had better be damned happy that I'm writing this. I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm merely stumbling through this. I demand your happiness.

Started February 21st.

Completed March 5th.

**Authoress: **Desperatembrace

**Disclaimer(s): **I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. Plain, black and white. The end.

**Warning:**

Possible OOC-ness

Yaoi

Language

Sexual Content

Alternate Universe

**Oneshot Genre(s): **Drama, Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

**Pool**

**

* * *

  
**

_How in the seven hells did it come to this?_

The pressure on his lungs bore down on him, eliciting excruciating pain from his chest. The pain grew and spread, seeping down into his legs and arms and seizing him, almost forcing him to forget where he was and gasp for breath. The beat of his heart thundered in his ears, thumping in the nerves all across his body and forcing him to realize that his life was really and honestly slipping away when each beat became noticeably more distant from the last.

There, under the water, with his sight a constant blue that was quickly becoming edged and engulfed with black, he found himself cursing his damnable personality, wishing that his pride and ego weren't so inflated. A split second after that thought had bubbled to the surface of his mind, he rejected it, mentally shredding it to pieces. No. The one thing that should truly be damned wasn't his pride or his ego or even his natural tsundere personality.

He cursed the circumstances that he was born under.

His thoughts began to blur and ooze together, entwining in a way that his muddled brain could no longer pick them apart to distinguish them.

_How fucking stupid I am..._

And with that last protruding thought, his lungs seemed to collapse on him, the last ounce of air his lungs had withheld fleeing in a cloud of bubbles when his lips grew slack. His eyesight was clouded over with a deep, dark black, until finally, he could see, feel, and think no more.

**

* * *

**

The day had started out like any other.

He woke up to the shrill beeping of his alarm, forcing his groggy, gritty eyes to open and face the day. After stumbling into a new set of boxers and slipping into a simple t-shirt and shorts, he made his way slowly downstairs, where he made himself a quick cup of coffee and croissant. Sitting silently at the table, alone in the lower level of the large house, Lovino couldn't help but realize each and every morning how out-of-place he felt. He loved his family--dearly. But things had started changing, his whole way of life shifting ever since the day his younger brother had started living with them six years ago.

His younger brother, Feliciano, had lived in another part of the country ever since he'd been born. Apparently, their family life was so unstable that a newborn simply couldn't be handled, so he was sent away to live with some close relatives. Lovino honestly never understood this reasoning--because if they couldn't handle a newborn, what made their parents think that they could handle a 2 year old? Either way, that was what happened, whether the reasoning behind the circumstances was skewed or not.

The two had never met, but knew of each others existences. It was a surreal sort of feeling, being constantly told that you had a sibling over 2700 miles away. He was constantly informed about the child, told about how amazingly alike they looked, how he had the exact same curl and _oh, _just the most _adorable _personality. At the time, he hadn't really cared. Being a child of a rather wealthy family and not having many children in the neighborhood, the idea of having a younger brother was one of positive standing. But still, no matter how many times the child was spoken about, he couldn't imagine him. He couldn't see the kid's face in his mind's eye, nor could he imagine ever meeting (let alone playing with) him. It felt like they would never be able to meet, never be able to be brothers to one another. The fact didn't really sink in until the day he was told that his younger brother would be moving in with them.

When he had finally met the boy whom he had heard all about, he couldn't help but scowl at the simpering 9 year old. The child did look quite a bit like him, yes--with a bit more childhood chub at the cheeks. But the personality was just _wrong_. He hid behind the driver's long legs and peered around at him, big round eyes watering helplessly and a single curl peeking out from his brown hair. When Lovino had first set eyes upon this child, his _brother, _a foreboding feeling had settled in his stomach, wrenching his nerves worryingly.

Over the next few days, he grew to love Feliciano, becoming noticeably protective of the smaller child and taking charge as the older brother. Within the next few weeks, however, that feeling he had felt began to show its results. No longer was he the sole child his parents lavished attention on. He was bigger and older, and therefore, didn't need nearly as much attention as cry-baby Feliciano.

He could take care of himself.

Lovino felt almost estranged, like he'd been replaced. His role had shifted from that of the beloved child to that of something like a misplaced kin. It wasn't all that bad. He still loved the child, though by this point he had started to show his feelings in a different way. Now, instead of hugging and holding his brother close, he would tease and insult him to the point of crying. It was a bit harsh, but if he were perfectly honest with himself, he would admit his childish envy got the better of him. Things settled down from there, him continuing to tease his younger brother, but not allowing others to tease or hurt the child. It was, after all, _his _job.

Things only went downhill when his neighbor came back from a month-and-a-half long vacation, though.

Antonio.

Shaking himself from his wandering thoughts, Lovino trailed his eyes to the upright clock upon the counter, cup clinking loudly to the counter when he realized he didn't have much time to get to practice. He hurriedly darted from the table and practically threw himself into the bathroom, brushing his teeth and washing his face in record time. Rushing for the door, he hurled his bag over his shoulder and slipped on his shoes, darting out of the house and making his way to the school for practice, all before his parents and brother woke up.

**

* * *

**

"Great!"

The shrill whistle travelled easily across the room, signaling all the swimmers to head for the locker rooms to get dressed. Lovino heaved himself out of the pool, taking a moment to stretch slightly and allowing the others to go on ahead of him. He made it to the doorway of the locker rooms when he paused and turned back, gazing back at the teal blue water of the pool. His frown slowly quirked, and after a few moments, a smile had replaced it upon his lips.

He would be back to see the pool after class, after all.

Lovino hurriedly changed and rushed into the hallways, maneuvering through the wandering crowds with the ease of a pro. He finally stopped and dropped his bag in front of his locker, quickly putting in the combination before yanking the door open. As he began going through the different things in his locker, however, thoughts from earlier that morning began to plague him once more. Shuffling a few books into his bag, he stopped and looked over his shoulder when he heard someone call his name.

"Yo, Lovino!"

The voice was one that sent shivers down his spine everytime he heard it. And not in the most pleasant of ways.

He angled his head to fix his gaze upon the caller, a groan being held back behind his teeth. "Hey, Gilbert..." The young man in question merely smiled, his odd red eyes squinting playfully and silvery hair falling into his face slightly as he tilted his head. "Today's going to be an awesome day, don't ya think?" He grinned at the uncomfortable Lovino.

Shaking his head, he tossed the last book into his bag and kicked his locker shut. A frown painted seemingly unmoving on his face as he passed by Gilbert. He didn't have to turn around to know that the boy was following him to class.

"Where were you during practice?" he asked instead of answering the question. Lovino turned a corner and side-stepped a girl rushing past, just barely avoiding a collision. Gilbert blinked behind him, easily following in his exact footsteps and merely replied with a simple, "eh?"

Lovino rolled his eyes and shifted his bag more comfortably on his shoulder before saying, "You heard me, dip-shit." Behind him, however, Gilbert watched his back with wide eyes, a sort of horror stealing across his visage. Something was terribly, terribly wrong with Lovino! Usually, by now, Lovino would have scolded him, kicked his ass, then promptly informed him that he _wouldn't miss another practice._

But no. Here he was... _worrying _about where he was.

Now, it may seem that it was only a simple question, not all that much thought behind the inquiry, but Gilbert knew him better than that. Lovino didn't talk much. He was naturally unsociable, able to talk to girls, but downright harsh to guys. When he stopped to talk to anyone of either sex, it would be a thought-out statement or question. It would have a massive purpose. And Lovino didn't worry about the whys. Hell, he didn't worry about _anyone_--especially about a 'not-friend' of his like Gilbert.

But here he was, wondering (or, deep, deep down, _worrying_) why he wasn't at practice.

Truth be told, it was very disquieting.

Gilbert cleared his throat, just now realizing that they had already made it into the classroom and to their individual seats. "Uh..." He darted a suspicious glance at Lovino, who had dropped his bag to the floor beside his desk and began staring at the window. When he heard Gilbert's hesitation, however, he focused his attention back on the boy.

"I slept in..." A frown slipped across Gilbert's lips when he saw the questioning in Lovino's eyes. Lovino probably didn't even realize that he was acting stranger than was normal for him today. Gilbert almost twitched when he only frowned and turned away.

That was it?! There really was something seriously wrong with him. Where was the scolding? The yelling? The curse words and repetitive statements about taking his competitive swimming seriously? Normally, all of this would happen and then he would try to diffuse the situation by molesting him (it always made him forget about his anger... at least, the anger for him skipping practice, that is).

Gilbert leaned toward Lovino, ignoring the way the boy unconsciously leaned away. Instead, he stared at his face, eyes taking in every critical point of his features. He didn't look any thinner, nor did he seem pale or haggard. Mouth screwing up in bemused frustration, he finally locked eyes with his friend (totally self-proclaimed). Finally, he asked, "One of those days?"

Green-brown eyes watching him for a moment, he replied, "Yeah. 'One of those days'." Gilbert nodded, finally understanding. It had been a while since he'd seen acting so oddly, but it had actually happened a few times before. It was just one of those days where the boy couldn't help but dwell upon the lower points of his life--namely that of the envy he held for his brother's relationship with Antonio. In all actuality, he and Antonio were kinda close (at least, closer than he and Lovino) so he could easily see the tension that lay between the two. But he knew immediately exactly what type of feelings Lovino held for the young man. It was obvious.

Usually, Lovino would be civil with his brother--loving, but teasing. But when Antonio came into the picture, Lovino's eyes would hold non-stop glares for his brother, intensifying when the two made any sort of skin contact. Otherwise, when Feliciano had run off into the school building, Lovino would turn insults on the man, giving him a cold shoulder. While most people might think of this as dislike for the man, Gilbert knew otherwise--because he'd seen it. The absolutely bright smile that had stolen across his self-proclaimed friend's face when he'd been complimented by Antonio was proof enough.

He had never seen the guy smile like that--not in all the years he'd known him from school. So there was only one conclusion:

Lovino held romantic feelings for Antonio.

Gilbert didn't much care for this revelation. Lovino was still an interesting person, and it was nice to be not-friends with him (because, after all, Lovino insisted that they _"absolutely in no possible way or circumstance are considered anything like friends!"_) regardless of whether this made him gay or bisexual or something like that. He felt the same way about Antonio. It would actually be kinda cool if his two best friends could find some happiness with each-other. Besides, he found that sexual preferences were overrated. You like who you like. Period. The silver-haired youth shook his head in an almost pitying fashion, fixing his eyes on the front board as the teacher called the class to attention. It seemed like it wasn't going to be all that great a day for Lovino.

"How un-awesome."

**

* * *

**

He couldn't concentrate. Already his thoughts were drifting back and forth in a frenzy, forcing his mind to shut down. Before he knew it, he was already drifting asleep.

Lovino dreamt of the past, how he would spend a lot of his time after school going next door, hoping that the nice Antonio who moved in recently would play with him. He dreamt of the times when Antonio would invite him out for ice cream, happy to have the younger boy's company.

He dreamt of the day he decided to start swimming.

That day, he and Antonio had gone out to the ocean with their families, solely to enjoy the few days of summer vacation. It was a few years before Feliciano had shown up, so he had Antonio all to himself at that point. The two had gone off on their own, finding a quiet little inland area of water, with only a few people here and there.

"Wanna race?"

He couldn't remember who asked the question, but the matching grins they wore showed that they didn't care--nor did it matter. Young Antonio, wavy brown hair falling into his tan face leaned forward slightly and directed a childish expression toward the even younger Lovino, counting down loudly. "3..." Lovino scrambled into a position that he could dive into the water, grin slipping from his face as his features screwed up in concentration.

"2..." Lovino closed his eyes and slowly inhaled, a sense of calm washing over him.

"1..." He didn't have a chance to think when Antonio gave a mischievous grin and dove into the deeper water with a shout of an untimely "go!"

Ignoring the usual response of a reproachful 'hey..!', he jumped in after him, swiftly changing the way he held his body and propelling himself forward with a sense of ease. Before he knew it, he was already at the finishing point, Antonio arriving just a few seconds after him. Antonio panted beside him, moving closer to the shore so that he could stand on his feet. Still wading in the water, the two walked side by side, trying to even out their breathing. When he finally caught his breath, Antonio spun around and fixed him with a bright, glowing smile. Lovino blinked when he excitedly said, "That was amazing!"

Tilting his head slightly, he regarded the slightly older child, biting his lip in confusion. What was amazing? Was he missing something?

Antonio laughed at the bewildered expression on the smaller kid's face before reaching forward and clasping his hands in his own. "Your swimming! It was amazing! You were really fast, and the way you did it looked like you'd been doing it... forever!" He ended the sentence with a dazzling smile before turning away to glance up the beach, not realizing his smile had caused a hot flush to come to Lovino's cheeks.

He couldn't believe that Antonio felt he was good at swimming. It was really just a hobby, but... a bright smile lit up on his own face. _Maybe..._

Lovino almost lost himself in his thoughts when he realized that Antonio was still there with him. He fervently scrambled to get the ridiculous smile off of his face, hoping that he didn't look stupid.

Instead, Antonio saw the fake frown that Lovino had forced on his face to cover up his embarrassment and feelings of joy. "It wasn't all that great..." He turned his head to the side, puffing up his cheeks, and praying to God that Antonio wouldn't notice the burning blush across his face.

He didn't realize. Antonio frowned too before rolling his eyes childishly. "You're so uncute."

**

* * *

**

The day had gone by slowly. After he woke from his dreams, his classes had passed by in blurs, leaving him in a state of listlessness, unconscious of the reality around him. Even swim practice didn't hold its usual beauty to him, left behind in a state of haziness. He never even noticed that Gilbert had actually attended practice and bid him goodbye afterward (with worried glances sent his way every few seconds).

He made his way to the courtyard after practice, glancing around and finding the sight almost comforting. There were never that many people here at this time of day, save for the few stragglers from after school practice. The swim team stayed the latest, and usually they never really saw too many people hanging around on the school grounds.

Snapped violently from his thoughts, Lovino's eyes widened when he spied a familiar head of wavy brown hair standing at the gate-entrance. Resisting the smile that threatened to claim his lips, he steered himself in the direction of his crush. Heart thrumming, breath hastening, his feet began to move to a quicker pace, eager to see the one person that could give his mood a complete one-eighty. His stomach dropped, however, when there was another head of brown spied next to him, lighter in color and with a tell-tale curl.

Feliciano.

A scowl worked its way to his face without conscious beckoning, his fists clenching unpleasantly around the straps of his school bag. Both of them looked up when he came within a few feet of them, both with large grins on their faces and with traces of laughter from whatever conversation he had just interrupted.

His blood boiled beneath his flesh, and before he knew it, his mouth was moving of its own accord. "What are _you _doing here?" It was said in an almost patronizing tone, undoubtedly coming off as arrogant. Antonio, used to this sort of attitude from the child he spent a lot of time with, merely shrugged and aimed a smile at Feliciano. "I was asked by your parents to come pick you guys up. To give you a ride," he clarified.

Teeth bit angrily into the inner flesh of his lip, a heavy feeling settling in his bones as a malice-filled voice whispered goading words into his ear. He didn't exactly want to see Antonio if Feliciano was going to be tagging along. He wanted to reject, but... he was honestly exhausted. Just before he opened his mouth to give a hesitant acceptance to the offer, Feliciano aimed a large smile at his older brother and said, "Yeah. And we were thinking about going to the public pool for a little while!" Antonio nodded agreeably before something seemed to occur to him. "Oh yeah," he said, snapping his fingers at the younger sibling before turning his attention to Lovino. "You should have seen your brother the last time we went swimming. He did a perfect dive!"

Fuck exhaustion.

His lips parted as a growl threatened to escape him. "You know what? I wanted to get a little more practice here. You know, empty pool. Quiet place to concentrate. I'll just walk." Without so much as a parting goodbye, he turned around and marched back to the building, not even realizing the worried looks that the two shot his way.

**

* * *

**

The anger threatened to overtake him, burning at his skin and dancing obtrusively at the back of his mind. He was tired of this. His brother... it didn't much matter when he lost the attention of his parents. But when the one person he finally grew attached to was forcibly taken away... things just started to get out of hand. He started to over-step his boundaries as the older brother and feelings of ill-disguised hatred started to worm their way into his system. He still loved him. Probably always would, but...

The anger just lingered constantly. The envy was uncontrollable.

_No, _he corrected himself, blowing out a bitter sigh as he forced himself to admit it.

Somewhere along the line envy had dissipated and grown into something more drastic.

Jealousy.

He was jealous of his brother. Of the attention that Antonio was giving him. That Antonio was babying him and taking care of him, just like he used to do with Lovino.

Green-brown eyes stared out at the crystal blue water, his senses slowly coming back to him as he began to realize he had lost himself in thought. Chlorine penetrated his nostrils, leaving the slight odd taste on his tongue that it always did. This is where he felt most comfortable. Even though he had originally started swimming because of Antonio, he had come to love the water, and the feeling of propelling himself through it. It was an addicting feeling, one that helped him lose himself and forget about the harsh reality outside of the four in-ground walls of the pool.

That was exactly what he needed right now.

He moved toward the edge of the pool, trying to ignore the way the quietly burning anger was fiercely gnawing at the back of his mind. Eager to get rid of the impure and soiled thoughts, he bent himself into a position that had become natural for him, tensing his muscles and ignoring the way his hair fell in front of his eyes. Preparing for his dive in, he paused when a scene flashed through his mind.

_"He did a perfect dive!"_

Suddenly, the pool was no longer enough to quell the torrid wave of angry thoughts lurking in the back of his head, and they all came sweeping forward, a tinge of bitterness coating his emotions. He clenched his fists, eyes slowly trailing over to the diving boards that sat at the end of the pool, and his feet began moving, one in front of the other. Pretty soon, he had climbed up the ladder and taken position, the typhoon of thoughts clouding his sensibility.

_Why..._

_...swimming was supposed to be my...._

_How could..._

_...and just when..?_

_No._

_I'm better... I can be better than him._

Fire ignited in his soul, limbs shaking from rushing adrenaline and eyes burning with a haughty determination.

_I can definitely do a better dive than _him_...!_

His body advanced in a practiced flow of movements, running almost to the edge of the board before he jumped, forcing his weight upon the board once, twice, and then he was soaring, seemingly suspended in the air. Lovino twisted his body, changing his balance to execute a precise dive, tucking his legs and spinning in the air. It wasn't until the second rotation that he realized his mistake.

His jump was too short. He wasn't far away from the board.

Immediately, his instincts took over, and he twisted his body, hoping to avoid the blow.

But it was too late.

In just a split-second, his body had spiraled in an awkward angle, turning to just the right postion, and the side of his head slammed against the diving board, forcing the breath from his lungs. He barely registered the pulsing pain before his limp form was plummeting into the water below.

**

* * *

**

He had seen the whole spectacle.

Antonio was worried. Lovino had been acting about the same way he always did lately: cold, biting, arrogant, and totally uncute. But there was just something about him, this _feeling _he gave off that unsettled him. So he had asked Feliciano to go on ahead with a smile and apology ("I have to make sure he doesn't do something stupid") and then secretly followed him back to the pool.

After waiting for quite a while behind the bleachers, his younger friend had finally emerged from the locker room, a dazed sort of look on his face. What was wrong with him? He had seen him zone out, but there were so many different expressions darting across Lovino's face, and truth be told, he could feel in his gut that it wasn't a good sign. At all.

He was lost in his own speculations while Lovino seemed to be having the same problem, eyes staring unseeingly out at the water before he seemed to snap to attention, causing him to hesitantly break from his own thoughts. Antonio frowned when he stepped up to the pool, a little curious at the odd sense of excitement and anticipation that had started to course through his veins. Was he really so excited to see Lovino's swimming? He hadn't seen it in a while, but...

Though, if he wanted to be perfectly honest, he found himself dismissing the curious questions running through his mind. It wasn't all that much of a revelation, actually. He always knew that he enjoyed watching the younger man swim, he actually generally enjoyed spending time with him. A lot. But there seemed to be some sort of rift between them lately...

He shook his head when the high-schooler abruptly changed course and went for the diving boards, hastily making his way to the top of the tallest one and seeming to lose himself in thought once more. He stepped out from his hiding spot behind the bleachers to get a bit of a better view. The youth wouldn't notice. He never really noticed anything once he got lost in his thoughts. When he began to move, the wavy-haired college student watched in fascination, eyes following the way the muscles in the youth's abdomen and thighs rippled. The dim thought that the kid had grown up was whispered at the back of his mind, but was ignored. As Lovino launched from the board, fascination quickly receded and morphed into horror.

Antonio saw it before his friend realized it.

Feet rooted to the ground, he watched as the young man hit his head upon the board and fell to the water below. The only thing that he could think was, _He couldn't have made a mistake... _His mind was in a state of shock, eyes fervently watching the too-clean water and tracing the trail of dispersing red that bubbled to the surface before blending with the water and dying it a cloudy pink.

Blood.

With that disturbing thought, multiple scenarios (all very unpleasant) slammed through his head, and he was hurriedly kicking off his shoes and yanking off his shirt. Antonio clumsily grabbed his keys and phone out of his pocket and tossed them next to the pool and then he was running for the water and diving in, arms shaking as fear began to encompass him. He made it to the bottom, grabbing the prone body and wrapping an arm securely around his waist before he was anxiously kicking for the surface.

Taking a deep gulp of air when breaking past the water, he paddled for the side of the pool, getting into a more shallow area and using all of his strength to haul the unnaturally still Lovino onto the marble flooring. He pulled himself out of the water, never noticing the way his pants felt uncomfortably heavy upon him and the dripping of water hitting the floor. He hovered over the prone form, fear growing exponentially when he didn't see the rise and fall of his friend's chest.

He hastily started performing CPR, doing multiple compressions before tilting the rapidly paling face back and forcing air down his esophagus. This was repeated a few times before Lovino spluttered, a low groan erupting from the back of his throat.

Lovino did not feel good. His head was pounding, his chest was burning, and he was fucking _cold. _When his senses finally decided to start clearing up, he came to realize there was a constant white noise, humming above him. It was a few seconds before he realized that it wasn't white noise, but was actually a long string of words, spoken by a voice that he easily recognized.

"Please, please, please, please, please, please be okay. Oh God, why..? You can't... so pale... Jesus, just wake up and act like you always do, spoiled and arrogant and cold and uncute--"

His clumsy tongue, thick and heavy, worked on overdrive to get the words out of his mouth. "Shut... th'fuck... up."

Normally, Antonio would smack him upside the head for a comment like that, but the guy had almost _drowned..._ so he just continued to babble, pulling the smaller man up closer to him to continue.

"Oh, thank God! I thought for sure that you were dead and why did you do that? You never make mistakes like that and there was a total miscalculation in your jump, you shouldn't be so stupid and reckless! I panicked, I mean, after all, you try to dive but end up hitting your head and next thing I know, you're falling and I can't think and then I jump in to go get you and I thought you were dead so I tried to revive you and I was just so _scared _that something--"

Lovino was tired of listening to words that he really couldn't understand. It was just a noisy droning that needed to stop, _now. _So he did the first thing that came to mind. He let his body fall forward, propelled by gravity and crashed his lips onto Antonio's, effectively silencing him.

Antonio's eyes grew wide, shock grasping him firmly in its palm for the second time that day. Cold lips moved clumsily against his for a second before his friend leaned back and muttered, "Fin'lly."

He stared at the brown-haired youth, fingers twitching with the urge to touch his lips in wonderment. After a few moments, he finally uttered, "Why..?"

The younger man slumped down, resting his head on the wet fabric of Antonio's pants. Instead of answering the question in the way it was meant, he sort of dodged around it, giving him a vague answer. "Told you ta shut up..." His eyes slipped shut of their own accord as a wave of pain seized him. Above him, Antonio stared down at him, hands instinctively beginning to run through the wet tresses upon his lap as he thought through the action. Anyone who truly knew Lovino knew that he didn't do anything half-assed. Once he did something, you automatically knew that there was a lot of reasoning behind the action. Therefore, the deduction was rather obvious.

"Why didn't you ever tell..?"

Lovino made a noise in response, like an attempted (but failed) snort and his eyes slipped open lazily. There was a short silence as he stared off at one of the fluorescent lights high above their heads and then he said, "You were cozyin' up ta Feliciano..."

_Oh._

Everything clicked.

Antonio really just couldn't help it. After virtually helping to raise Lovino, he seemed to grow this paternal sense that made him feel like he needed to help the helpless. And Feliciano just naturally gave off those 'dependent' vibes... He would need to explain that to him later. After the doctor had looked at him and declared him perfectly fine, that is. He was pulled from his regretful thoughts when he felt movement on his lap and he looked down to find Lovino rubbing his cheek against his thigh before relaxing and blowing out a quiet sigh. Antonio watched him thoughtfully before he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Tryin' ta sleep... tired..." he slurred in response.

"No, you might have a concussion."

"Well, at least give me some warmth... fuckin' cold.."

Antonio choked out a laugh, his nerves causing his arms to start shaking more erratically. He was just _so _relieved...

"You're so uncute," the lie came unbidden to his lips, tumbling out like it always had for all these years. Nevertheless, he still cradled the younger man closer, supplying him with some much-needed body warmth as he reached for his cell phone to call for an ambulance.

**-Pool Closed-**

Eh. I don't usually do teenage angst, but... I dunno. It just seemed to form itself in my mind. There was a bit of fluff, too. I'm wondering on what to do for the next keyword, but... -shrugs- I guess I'll figure it out.

...I feel like such a sap after writing this...

(And HOLY SHIT, Alorix! I used some of Sanks' stuff... I feel stupid... -cries-)

Next up: **Calculator**

Review if you'd like. Tell me whatchya think. :D


	2. Calculator

Okies. I got some pretty good feedback on the last oneshot. My friend absolutely adored it, apparently... because she glomped me the instant she saw me... Ha. And then she started to insist that I get started on the next one... and kept on bugging me about that... and wondering when it would be out... and if she could read it or know what the main plotline is... and if certain characters would be included...

Honestly, Alorix. Chill. XD

Started March 12th.

Completed March 14th.

**Authoress: **Desperatembrace

**Disclaimer(s): **I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. Plain, black and white. The end.

**Warning:**

Possible OOC-ness

Yaoi

Language

Sexual Content

Alternate Universe

**Oneshot Genre(s): **Humor, General, Romance

**Calculator**

**

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Work was too redundant. Day after day, he was shoved in this cramped little office, with only a pathetic artificial plant to keep him company from the corner of the room. Numbers were a constant companion to him during his entrapment. Bland walls and a dreary desk were a second home to him and it was tiring after the two years that he'd spent here.

He felt that it was time to consider a change in profession.

Restraining a weary sigh, Antonio shifted slightly to the left, focusing his attention on the computer as he logged in and pulled up a file labeled 'Client Schedules'. Scanning through the depressingly long list, he checked the time slots, finding that there were only a small handful of people that he would have to see for that day.

Just as he closed out of the file, his office door was thrown open with a dramatic flair, a pair of males waltzing in as if they owned the joint. Rather used to this treatment, Antonio only proceeded to log out of the system before finally fixing his eyes on the intruders. Really, would they ever learn?

Gilbert was stretched out on one of the chairs across from his desk, feet resting in a kingly fashion upon Francis' lap (who glared at the offending extensions of his friend's body with a sort of scowl) in the neighboring chair. Smiling slightly from the typical antics of his two long-time friends and coworkers, Antonio leaned back comfortably in his chair and allowed his eyes to crinkle up in amusement. "So what brings you guys to this boring office a few doors down?"

"Why, we're here to make sure our freakishly cheerful country-bumpkin doesn't fall into the dooming pits of despair guaranteed in this bland hell," Francis said, hands plastered against the side of his face, a goofy sort of expression painted across his features.

He rolled his eyes playfully, not offended in the slightest at the nickname. He had come to the city from a more rural region of the country and was instantly branded a country bumpkin... not to mention, many people noticed his abnormally optimistic and cheerful personality. When he met these two... well, it just stuck.

A smile stretched across his face like it usually did when he was around these two. He was honestly doomed to be constantly cheerful if his best friends were forever so amusing. It wasn't his fault. Really.

Shaking his head, he pointed at the door. "Well, you guys need to get back to work. Those financially-dimwitted people aren't going to help themselves, you know." Francis let out a dramatic cry, fake tears already running down his face as he jumped out of his chair (dropping Gilbert's feet to the ground with a grunt) and darted for the door and called behind him, "Fine! I can see we're not wanted!" And with that little act of drama, he had disappeared around the corner and into the neighboring door containing his own office.

Gilbert rolled his eyes at their friends dramatics before slapping a pout of his own upon his face. Directing it to the man on the other side of the desk separating them, he childishly threw his head to the side and muttered, "I'm too awesome for this kind of job..." With one last glance at Antonio, he stomped to the door and paused, as if in thought, before making his way a little further down the hall and disappearing in the door opposite of the one Francis had run into.

A chuckle bled past his lips. Really, it was the same old routine every day, but... it never did get old with those two around. In fact, they were really the only reason that he was sticking around at this point. With a quick shrug, he mentally sifted through the organized files in his mind, recalling the schedule for the day. With a quick glance at the computer screen's clock, he settled for resting his head on his palm, elbow planted firmly against his desk.

Only a few more minutes before his client should show up.

Without even realizing it, Antonio began to nod off, the crushing boredom causing a thin tiredness to creep upon him. In his light sleep, however, he heard footsteps clacking across the wood flooring from the hallway in front of his office, and was forced from the light doze. Blinking his eyes to allow his pupils to adjust to the light, he paused when there was a slight knock on the wall next to the entrance of the small room.

Looking up, he found his gaze landing on a young male of brown hair, a single curl protruding slightly. Antonio's already sleep-hazed thoughts jolted to a half, stuttering on the handsome man lingering in his doorway. The male in question watched him for a moment before cautiously asking, "Mr. Carriedo?" Blinking a bit more to bring himself fully back to reality, Antonio stood up from his seat hurriedly, the chair rolling back with a loud squeaky-clank. He reached out a hand, beckoning him forward and saying, "Yes, that's me. Come in, Mr..." he trailed off, his memory of the man's name failing him.

The younger male stepped into the office and securely grabbed hold of his hand, giving it a short, but firm shake and nod as he said, "Vargas. Lovino Vargas." The financial advisor nodded in return and introduced himself. "Yes, Mr. Vargas. My name is Antonio Carriedo, but you can call me Antonio." He flashed him his signature smile, an expression of pure sincerity. Pushing his wavy brown hair out of his eyes, Antonio turned his attention back to the computer as he sat down in his leather chair, not noticing the light flush that stole across his client's face.

After quickly pulling up the needed files, he got down to business, casting all unprofessional thoughts aside. "So Mr. Vargas, you have a decent paying job, but you are looking into purchasing a house... and due to this, you are going to need a regulated payment plan in order to keep up with your finances, correct?" Antonio looked up from the monitor, eyes pinning onto the man across from him.

Mr. Vargas seemed to shake himself from an internal debate before giving a sharp nod, accentuated by an off-putting scowl. "Yes, that is correct."

Nodding once more, the wavy-haired man began to ask him a few essential questions--like his average pay, if he was paid weekly, biweekly, monthly, yearly, etc. Did he have anyone else that was going to live with him? Was there any outside jobs or payments that would attribute to income? How much did he need to pay on his car? Basically everything. After a good 2-3 hours, they had finally put everything down on paper. It was at this point that Antonio pulled a scientific graphing calculator out of his desk drawer and slid it across to the handsome client. When he was only given a bemused expression, he stated, "Please follow along and do the same calculations that I do. Feel free to correct any numerical mistakes that I make." It was sort of an odd quirk unique to their company. This particular feature had always been a huge attraction to their clients, allowing them to double check the advisors to make sure that no mistakes were made.

They continued with the calculations and spent the better part of an hour working out a few specifics on the plan. Before long, a fairly simple financial plan had been drawn up, viewing and taking care of all aspects of payments--whether it be for groceries, bills, or emergency money.

With a quick glance to the clock on the monitor, Antonio allowed himself to fade from the stiff professional persona that always took over him when he was with a client. He aimed another blinding smile aimed at Mr. Vargas and then stood up and held out his hand amicably. There was a brief, wide-eyed hesitation, Mr. Vargas abruptly shook his head before standing up, scowl firmly back in place as he took the advisors hand and gave a sharp shake. Ignoring the urge to frown back and chastise the man for his childish behavior, Antonio continued to smile and said, "Well, I do believe that we are done here today, Mr. Vargas. But if you ever have a change made financially--such as earning either more or less income, bill payments going up or down, feel free to come back and have your plan changed according to the new developments."

When the tan-skinned young man had made his way to the door and was about to shut it behind him, Antonio called out with his best tone, "Thank you and have a nice day!"

He didn't bother to hide his frown when another scowl was directed over the man's shoulder.

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Over the course of the next few days, Antonio couldn't help but think about the young man with the petulant scowl. What exactly was wrong with him? Why did he seem to be in such a bad mood at the most random of moments? Granted, he had only seen Mr. Vargas and spoken with him over the course of a few hours, but _still._

He would look up at the younger man and he would have a relaxed expression. It looked really nice on him--he was a really gorgeous man. His features were really defined and made him stand out. But when Mr. Vargas realized that he was the subject of scrutiny, his expressions immediately turned sour.

So why did he frown so much?

Before long, a week had rolled by and Antonio began to grow angry with himself. What did it matter? It wasn't like he was going to see him again.

Oh how wrong he was.

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About three weeks later found Antonio behind his desk once more, cursing how boring Fridays could be on the job. He had absolutely no scheduled appointments, and had therefore been given the assignment of taking care of all walk-in cases.

Nothing was more boring than staring into outer space over a course of 8 hours. He almost considered talking to the plastic fern sitting in the opposing corner of the room in order to pass the time.

When he saw a red flash from the phone sitting on his desk, he almost let out an explosive sigh of relief. Pressing the button and yanking the corded phone up, he held it to his ear and internally prayed that there was a walk-in client, unknowingly there to take up the position to ease his boredom.

The woman from the front desk said the magic words and Antonio almost pumped his fist. Apparently, one of the gods up there was looking out for him.

Except not really.

His thoughts abruptly jolted to a stop when a familiar head of hair appeared in his doorway--the same head of hair that belonged to the same man that had been plaguing his thoughts for the better part of a week almost a month before.

Without even realizing it, his mouth had moved of its own accord, addressing him with his name (that he should, by no means, remember). "Mr. Vargas. Take a seat."

Brown locks of hair swayed slightly as Mr. Vargas stepped into the room, shutting the door snugly behind him before he made his way to one of the two seats in front of Antonio. Pulling up a file that seemed more familiar than it should be, he turned his attention back to the client, watching him in silence before he asked, "So, I suppose that your financial circumstances have changed?"

Mr. Vargas gave a sharp nod, that frown that seemed to define him still set firmly upon his face. After a few moments of silence, Mr. Vargas seemed to finally understand that he was expected to reiterate. His frown deepened, lips practically twitching as he obviously forced himself to say, "I got promoted." Immediately after the words had left his mouth, the young man turned his head away, locking his gaze on one of the bland walls as if it were one of the most interesting designs he had ever seen.

A few moments were spent staring at the curious display before Antonio shook him from his bemused thoughts. He couldn't get too interested. This man was a client and he was here to ask him, Antonio, to do his job in helping him.

Nothing more, nothing less.

The adjustments were a rather brief affair, only resulting in Mr. Vargas getting a little more spending money for his leisure. Bidding the man a goodbye, he felt a wave of deja vu wash over him as the handsome client did the exact same thing as before, aiming a quick scowl over his shoulder before allowing the door to click shut behind him.

Antonio spent a moment contemplating, eyes staring unseeingly at the door. Really, what exactly was wrong with him and those frowns?

Before long (or actually, after quite a while--a good hour or so had passed while he was locked in his thoughts he later realized), he was snapped from all contemplation when his office door was slammed open and in walked his two best friends, marching straight up to his desk. Locking his eyes on Francis (he had learned that he was the less trustworthy of his friends and required a watchful eye at all times), he didn't notice Gilbert making his way around his desk until a hand had wrapped around his upper arm, dragging him from his chair. Eyes darting over to the red orbs of his friend, laughter dancing through their depths, he wasn't able to formulate words until he had been dragged halfway across the room to the door.

"What's going on..?" Two grins were his only answer before he was being pulled down the length of the hall, out into the lobby and out of the smudged glass doors of their building. When he had been taken into the parking lot and shoved in the back of Gilbert's car, only then did he get his answer.

"The work day is _officially!_ over and now we are going to drown ourselves in extensive amounts of booze!" Francis said with an obvious excitement, practically bouncing in the front seat. Gilbert eyed him in the rear view mirror, his own grin bordering on maniacal. "Awesome idea, huh?"

Antonio, blinking a bit in confusion at the way his day had played out, could only stare for a few moments before his own grin spread across his face.

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"And _that!_, my dear friends, would make us the Bad Touch Trio!" Francis raised his mug, the glass catching the dull light of the bar before he sloppily brought it back to his mouth, foul brown liquid sloshing over his shirt.

Gilbert looked over at his blond friend, his face the picture of disgust. "'Bad touch'? That is so not awesome... makes us sound like pedos," He slurred, frown deepening when Francis gave a drunken giggle. "Bad Ass Trio. Now _that _is awesome." He brought his own mug to his lips and took a gulp, choking a little as it went down the wrong pipe. Antonio rolled his eyes at their antics before leaning forward and lightly patting the silver-haired man's back. With a bit of a grin, he said, "Jeez, slow down a bit, Gilbert. I think you just ran off those guys that were eyeing you a moment ago." The tease was accentuated with a dramatized glance up at the bar, grin growing as if he had seen a couple of guys walking away in revulsion. Glancing back down at his friend, he jolted his head in the direction of the bar, before grinning and saying, "You aren't going to get a date like that."

The next few moments were silent for their group, an odd tension settling between them. Antonio, confused as to where this came from, glanced worriedly between his coworkers. What was wrong?

Finally, Francis looked up, eyes locking onto his own and he said, "Speaking of dates..." The serious look changed to one that spoke of merciless teasing, lips morphing into a grin. "What about that cute brunette that's been in your office twice now?"

And suddenly, his two best friends weren't so drunk anymore.

They were out for blood, and they weren't going to rest until they got it.

Antonio felt his eyes widen, thoughts immediately swerving before settling on one Mr. Vargas. It was unreasonable for his thoughts to settle on him so quickly--after all, he wasn't the only brunette client that he'd seen to twice. So why did he automatically think of _him?_

Gilbert and Francis had twin smirks on their faces, having already analyzed the expression on his face for what it was. Before Antonio had any time to open his mouth to deny anything that they had to say about _that _client, Francis immediately cut to the chase.

"You like him, don'tchya?"

The wavy haired Southern didn't really register anything after that, his glass of water clanking to the table (he was the designated driver for that night, sadly) as his thoughts rushed over him. Switching over to a totally unbiased perspective as a professional would, he allowed himself to turn the facts over in his mind, mulling over the days that he had met with Mr. Vargas and the days he had thought about him.

When a quick image of the younger man flashed through his mind, scowling and staring at the wall, Antonio couldn't help but smile.

_Like? Perhaps that _is _what it is..._

For the rest of the night, Antonio thought about his client, and mourned over the fact that the chances weighed heavily against them meeting again.

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Antonio could honestly say that he was in total awe with how things had been working out for him lately, when, a week later, found one Mr. Vargas sitting across from him for the third time.

Honestly, Antonio Carriedo couldn't help but wonder if he had been some sort of saint in a past life, because karma certainly seemed to be working to his advantage. When the younger man was comfortably seated across from him, he said the familiar words once more.

"Your financial circumstances have changed?" He couldn't help but add on the teasing tone, his eyebrow raising all on its own. Antonio hoped that he didn't scare him off with the subtle flirting.

Instead of scaring him off, however, _the scowl _(it was going to need a little trademark sign next to it, soon)took form across the perfectly shaped lips, claiming them as Mr. Vargas shifted his gaze away like he had the meeting prior. There was another moment of silence before he replied, "Yes. I was given a raise."

Thoughts of flirting dimmed slightly as the words registered in his brain. Good lord, a promotion and a pay raise, all in the span of a week? The man before him must be damned good at what he did... He gave an internal groan, irritated with the sexual turn his thoughts had taken. Why did the whole hard-working persona have to be such a turn-on?

He'd obviously been hanging out with Gilbert and Francis too much.

Burying a sigh deep down, he got down to business, shoving the calculator across the table without any explanation. He cracked a grin when his client picked it up, already having become used to the way things worked for the planning.

Unfortunately, the adjustments required only a brief amount of time once more, and before long, Mr. Vargas was sliding the calculator back across the desk and standing up to excuse himself. This time, however, Mr. Vargas paused at the door and looked over his shoulder at Antonio, features carefully neutral as he seemed to be waiting for something. After a few moments of Antonio deliberating on whether or not to ask him out, the young man shook his head and walked out the door without a single word.

And Antonio couldn't help but regret his indecision on allowing someone so interesting and handsome to get away.

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A few days later, Gilbert had decided to pop up in Antonio's office, seeming to sense the depression that had overcome his friend. Careful glances were shot his way as he settled into one of the seats that the clients would usually sit in, only further serving to remind him of his melancholy mood. Why did he have to be such a coward? After all, there were such little chances of seeing that man again...

Before he realized it, Gilbert had reached for the calculator provided to the clients and busied himself typing away on it, a grin slowly coming over his lips. Antonio, breaking away from his thoughts, found himself watching his friend, a feeling of foreboding crawling along his skin.

The grin turned wry when Gilbert finally pushed clear and then retyped the seven letter word. Turning the calculator upside-down, the silver-haired man proudly showcased his work in all its glory.

At first, Antonio had no idea what he was supposed to be looking at. His professional side had immediately set into action and regarded the numbers from a numerical perspective, turning them right-side up in his mind and puzzling over their significance.

5318008.

What..?

An uncharacteristic frown sweeped across his lips for a moment before he chastised himself for letting his bad mood force him to act in a bad manner. Rolling his eyes, he aimed a dry, "Boobies?" at his friend, chuckling slightly when Gilbert's grin grew in size. He allowed the man to have a few moments of reveling in the immaturity of the act before he said, "Alright, alright. Now clear that so my next client doesn't have to be subjected to your juvenile sense of humor." He made a swishing motion with his hand, ignoring the pout that stole across Gilbert's features. A few more minutes of pretending to not hear his childish whine, and finally his coworker was out the door.

He hated to be so moody, but honestly, he just couldn't help it. He had basically lost any guaranteed chances of getting the man that he found himself so enamored with to go out with him. The regret was just excruciating.

With a bit of a sigh, he pulled up the client list once more, pausing before he even had a chance to scan through the names and time slots when he heard a knock at the front of his office. Turning his attention to the newcomer, his jaw became slack when he found the man that he had been thinking of not even a minute before standing in his doorway.

It was official. Someone up there really loved him.

Mr. Vargas seemed to fidget with his stare, the confident exterior that had been masking him only a few seconds before crumbling beneath his gaze. He seemed to be warring internally before he stepped in with a prominent scowl, taking a seat in the same chair he always sat in.

The words rolled off his tongue without any beckoning. "Your financial circumstances have changed, I presume?" The lilting of his words at the end added a teasing effect, clearly showing that he was rather happy with the man's arrival. Mr. Vargas' scowl deepened as he seemed to consider his words carefully. Finally, he was presented with the answer of, "I got demoted."

Eyebrows shooting past his hairline, Antonio regarded his client curiously, wondering what exactly had happened. Before he even had the chance to slip up from his professional act and ask, the younger man replied to his unspoken question. "I got lost in my thoughts too much."

Lips quirking in a lopsided grin, Antonio couldn't help but feel that the same thing had happened to him a few too many times ever since meeting this mysterious enigma of a man. Pushing the calculator to Mr. Vargas from where Gilbert had left it, he busied himself with digging through his drawer to find his own calculator. When he finally pulled the device from where it was sandwiched between two bulky files, he turned his attention back to the man, about to ask if he was ready to start but paused. Mr. Vargas was staring at his calculator with an odd sort of expression, not sparing any attention for him.

"Um... Mr. Vargas?" The man in question snapped his head up when he heard his name being called. Antonio glanced at the calculator for a moment before resting his eyes back on alluring hazel orbs. "Is there something wrong?"

His eyes followed the young man's tongue as it ran along the seam of his lips, wetting them in a nervous gesture. He maintained silence before: "Is it customary for you to input 'boobies' in your calculators?"

Antonio felt horror grip him when he realized exactly what was wrong, and before he realized it, he was babbling, a blush stealing over his cheeks in mortification. "Oh God, I am so sorry. That must have been Gilbert, I mean, he did that earlier but I guess he didn't clear it and besides, I'm not like that, hell, I don't like boobs, I mean, after all, I am ga--" His jaw snapped shut when he realized what exactly he was saying, eyes widening, waiting for what the young man would say.

For a moment, Mr. Vargas stayed silent, watching him with a careful, analytical gaze. Then, he said in a casual manner, "Really? I'm attracted to males, too."

Blinking in a bit of a comical fashion, Antonio felt his brain stutter to a halt. Was it just him, or did that sound like a total invite? Wincing a little internally, he felt determination hold him in its grip. _Well, _he thought, _only one way to find out._

Sucking in a quick breath, he forced a bright smile on his face, and said with a bit of caution, "Would you like to go out to dinner tonight, then?"

The man in front of him didn't even ponder the offer before he bluntly said, "No." Feeling himself deflate, Antonio allowed the smile to slip of his face, an expression of neutrality immediately taking root on his features. So it seemed like the attraction wasn't mutual...

"I've got to work tonight. But tomorrow would be fine."

The words almost didn't register in Antonio's mind, requiring a few more seconds than normal to be processed. When he finally realized the implication of the words, a grin split his lips, eyes sparkling in delight. So that meant...!

Mr. Vargas seemed to ignore his revelation, standing from his seat and saying, "Well, I think that this meeting will have to be postponed for another night as I need to go get cleaned up for work." His words were accompanied by a pointed glance to the watch on his wrist. He pulled a slip of paper out of his jacket pocket along with a pen and hastily scrawled a series of digits upon the slip before tossing it on the desk and tucking the pen away. "Feel free to call me in order to set up the dinner and inform me of the date of the meeting." He turned away and made for the door, forcing Antonio to snap from his rose-colored thoughts.

"I'll talk to you soon, then, Mr. Vargas," he said earnestly after his client. The man in question paused in his steps and looked over his shoulder, a bit of a frown tugging on his lips as he said, "Lovino. Call me Lovino."

His smile grew. "Lovino, then."

And as he watched Lovino exit the room, hand held over his face to cover the blush that threatened to overturn his characteristic scowl, Antonio felt a grin creep over his lips as a revelation hit him.

_Huh, _he thought, glancing over to his monitor with his schedule flashing at him over the bright screen. _So that's why he frowns so much. Because he's embarrassed._

Staring at the door as it slammed shut, he chuckled quietly to himself.

_How cute._

**Battery power running low. Please change batteries.**

It's weird... but I get that scene where the wife calls her husband at work in the Incredibles in my head when writing (and reading) the part where Francis says "the work day is _officially! _over.."

Anyways. I really had fun with the whole plotline of this one. I just thought it was really cute. I'm thinking about maybe rewriting this from Lovino's point of view, because I _do _have reasonings behind each of his actions and all that jazz.. and I think it might add to the effect of the story. -laughs and shrugs- I'm not really sure though, yet.

Here we go, Alorix, week two finished.

Wanna share your thoughts, criticisms, and compliments?

Well,

_Review,_

**Review,**

_**Review!!**_


	3. Blog

Oh my lord. It took me forever to figure out a plotline on this particular word. I've never seen a blog in my life (which is kinda funny considering how much an internet/computer whore I am...) but... I just had no idea what to do. So I just said, "Meh. Wing it."

And here it is. Hope it works for ya guys. And Alorix, of course!

There are actually sort of two parts to this (I'm sure they're relatively obvious without me pointing them out)... and this focuses a little more on their individual characters and backgrounds and meeting rather than their romance... I don't know why, but it just turned out that way... sorry! I swear I'll make it up to you guys with the next two!

Started and completed March 26th.

**Authoress: **Desperatembrace

**Disclaimer(s): **I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. Plain, black and white. The end.

I also don't claim to having formulated any quotes used in here.

**Warning: **

Possible OOC-ness

Yaoi

Language

Sexual Content

Alternate Universe

**Oneshot Genre(s): **General, Humor, (light) Romance

**Blog**

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_"The internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow." _

_--Bill Gates_

I remember the day that my life changed. The day that led to the reckoning of my ambitions. The day that led me to _him._

The kicker? That was the day I bought my computer.

Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't meet him until much, _much _later. But still. If I hadn't bought that computer... well, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I can remember that day better than any other. In fact, I can tell you the most precise things about that day, like maybe the fact that it was early August of 2001--the 5th to be exact--and it had been a little rainy that morning. I ate a normal breakfast, brushed my teeth, washed my face. I took the bus out to my mundane job--having just been accepted there fresh out of high school--and ended up spilling coffee on a coworker, and then pushed through the day as if it were any other. The bulky computer that I was positioned in front of for the better part of 7 hours had been lagging like crazy.

Now that I think about it, it was actually because of that _very_ computer that I disliked computers in general. Nothing like a hunk of junk to turn you off to all others of its kind.

Work was boring, like usual, just scanning through who-knows-how-many records before saving the files, printing them out, attaching a quick signature and then faxing them off to the follow-up office. Work, work, work.

Too repetitive.

I remember I had actually exploded that day, slamming my mouse down (and consequently breaking it) when the damned computer had froze before I ever had the chance to save the file. For the third time.

After dealing with my boss when he called me into his office, I went for a quick lunch break and ran into Francis, a coworker of mine. He'd always been rather strange, a little touchy-feely if you get what I mean. Needless to say, I tried to avoid him most of the time. This time, though, I couldn't get rid of him. He just followed right along behind me, pointedly ignoring how I would glare at him in the hopes that he would get it through his skull that I _didn't want to see him._

It was at that point that I realized he'd probably become immune to my glares, no matter how icy or heated they were. (It was later that week that I started to practice my scowls... not that anyone else would ever find that out.)

I'm not really sure if I remember the exact words of our discussion, but the conversation went something like this:

"So, Lovino, the boss give you a warning?"

"Fuck. Off."

"Ooh, so harsh! I'm going to cry! Aren't we supposed to be coworkers? Comrades? Buddies?"

"Shut. Up."

"Aww. There, there. I'm sure it was just a friendly warning. Besides, it's not like nobody understands your pain. I mean, these computers are so _frustrating._ And we _all _know it."

"Honestly, can you just go the hell away?"

"Anyways, maybe we need to get replacements. It would be nice to have brand new computers--after all, those are a good few years old..."

I remember twitching at the blatant ignoring of my pleadings. _Apparently not._

"Oh, reminding me, have you heard? They came out with a new system of computers. They're supposedly part of the 'new generation'," he did the bunny-finger gesture around the phrase before saying, "And they have better networking for the Internet. They run faster, boot up quicker, and the best thing about it: No dial-up!"

I have absolutely no idea why I had decided to listen to him so attentively. It was a subject that I despised. I was always a classic paper-and-pencil kinda guy. So when people started talking about computers and "advancing technology to unimaginable heights", I just naturally tuned them out--especially if they were annoying people. (And in Francis' case, he is like the _God_ of annoying people).

The rest of work proceeded with little to talk about. Summaries and records, again, needed to be checked and approved, and before long, I was walking out the front doors and making my way to the bus stop.

But, seeing as life loved to dump me in the shit hole (and still does at times), I had turned the corner just in time to see the bus departing from the marked spot.

I was perfectly fine. Really. I just took it all in stride. And I'm not bluffing...

...Okay, so maybe I was a little pissed off. But only a little, teeny-tiny bit. Not much.

But I was over it pretty fast. I decided, hey, it was a nice day, so why couldn't I walk home? I only lived a good mile to mile and a half away, so it shouldn't be too bad. The weather was just perfect to where I could walk without feeling a rush of heat or coldness that would make me wish for a shelter of some sort. Of course, it was a little damp from the morning rain, but I could deal with that.

So I started on the trek home. But, about half a block away from home, I passed by one of those little plazas--you know--the kind that has about 8 small shops renting out the individual areas? Yeah, well, for some reason, I decided to really look at these shops, and I noticed that one of the shops specialized in computers and were advertising a sale on their merchandise.

To this day, I have no idea what possessed me to turn in my steps and make my way into that shop. Maybe it was just a desire for something different in my monotonous life or the brief recollection of what Francis had talked about earlier that afternoon. But, next thing I know, I'm walking out the doors with a heavy box in my arms, brand new, sleek 2001 edition computer tucked safely inside.

The walk from there was absolutely terrible. Let it be said that it is not a smart idea to make such split-second decisions. Not only was my wallet in shitty-shape, but so were my back and legs by the time I got home.

I didn't even bother with the computer after stepping foot through my door. Dropping the heavy load onto the love-seat, I flopped down on the couch and promptly passed out for a power nap. I'm pretty damned sure it was one of the best naps of my entire life. Anyway, after waking up, I ambled around in the kitchen for some food, brewed a bit of coffee (despite it being almost midnight) and it wasn't until I had got up to go to the bathroom during a commercial break for a soap-opera rerun that I saw the box lying innocently on the fabric of my love-seat that I remembered about my earlier purchase.

Quickly taking care of business, I strolled back into the living room and began to unpack the machinery and began setting it up. It took me a little while, because back then, I was still quite the novice--I mean, really. Who the hell would use fucking technical words like "attach the power cord to the appropriately labeled slot; a power surge is recommended.." on a new owner? Honestly, what the hell was wrong with "put the blue wire in the blue hole and make sure you have the fucker plugged in"?

Stupid manufacturers and their unnecessarily complicated words.

When the thing was up and running a good hour to two hours later, though, I found myself a little bit intrigued. It was running almost ten times faster than the ancient monstrosities at work and it seemed to be a little self explanatory. There was no more screeching and beeping to get onto the Internet and I could just _feel _the possibilities expanding around me. Four in the morning found me staring at the computer screen in complete awe.

I swear I was in love.

**

* * *

**

_"The Internet gives you the power to become someone totally different." _

I remember reading that quote a few months later. Only seconds after reading it, the only thought that passed through my head was something along the lines of, "What utter bullshit." But then, I remembered some reports that had started popping up on the news a lot around that time. Reports about young girls being tricked into meeting with men with less-than-favorable intentions through deception in chat rooms.

So I decided to experiment. I went on multiple chat rooms and made multiple personas--acting as a young middle-school boy in one and an older senior woman in another. I was slightly surprised to find that my personas were believed almost instantly. Well, at least, none of the other occupants of the chat rooms ever said a "bullshit" to any of my claims, so... I think they believed me.

But this got me thinking.

**

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**

A few weeks after purchasing my first personal computer, I decided to quit my job and go back to school. I went to a four-year college and took multiple courses on computers--everything ranging from how to start and maintain a website to how to build one. It was something that I quickly became passionate about, and it changed me.

Half a year after 'the Purchase' (it is an event worthy of capitol letters), I decided to put my learning to the test and started up my own website. A blog, actually. It was a rather simple little page with a few links to some of my favorite sites and such.

Over the next couple of years and after I completed college, my site grew and grew, gaining more followers and becoming more popular. It was just a blog, though. I'm not really sure why people would be so interested in my personal rants and stuff like that. But, seeing as I had so many people and hits to my page, I figured I was doing something right and expanded it a bit, adding critiques on movies and books. Before long, I had multiple sections and had monthly hits well into the millions.

I felt life was good. I enjoyed messing around on my site and blogging. It was fun and it kept things interesting. I met new people and heard their thoughts without worrying about what kind of person they were in real life. I didn't ask anyone about whether they were male or female or a teenager or an adult or if they had a decent job. That sort of thing didn't matter. My website let me really get to know the people and not have to worry about my lack of social skills.

That quote really shone through, though. I was someone totally different when I sat at a computer and responded to a few people's comments. I wasn't scowling-and-moody Lovino. No, I was someone totally different; known only by my screen-name: SleekPocketPicker.

I'm not really sure I want to go into the specifics as to why I chose that name. Let's just say that I was a little more than a mischievous kid and leave it at that. Anyway, that username seemed to somewhat become my trademark all over the Internet and giving me a bit of fame.

After about a year of having no job and having finished college, I found an old acquaintance, Gilbert, from high school. A little bit of talking and a couple of drinks (that were forced upon me), next thing I know, I'm walking out of the bar with a new job. I was officially a Graphics designer.

The catch was that Gilbert dealt with my customers and acted as the go-between. Honestly. That man is second in annoying-ness only to Francis--and that's just by a _sliver._

From that point forward, I focused on my job, designing and redesigning websites for any companies that called and paid money for it. It was more than I could possibly ask for. The best job possible. Sadly, this put my blog on the back burner for a while, and I ended up neglecting it for a few months and consequently losing a couple thousand regular viewers. Nonetheless, I managed to create a balance in which I would work on the blog in my free time. About this time, I expanded from critiques of movies and books to artwork. I started out with the well-known stuff--the Mona Lisa and all that junk. And then I started finding art conventions. It actually became another one of my hobbies, looking at all of the artwork of the aspiring artists. Most of it sucked, of course, but there would be a few that would just... I don't know--jump out at me.

Anyway, I expanded my 'expertise' into rookie art conventions and started talking about the artwork that I really liked and spoke to me. Things had really leveled out at this point and smoothing out.

That is, until one particular username started popping up frequently.

**

* * *

**

I remember the day that my life changed. The day that led to me realizing my talents. The day that led me to _him._

Granted, it was a little while before things were really moving along and changing, but it was that day that put everything in motion.

I'm pretty sure it was December 7th that it happened, late in 2007. Things were pretty dreary. I was still at my rag-tag part-time job, so things were starting to get a little monotonous. I went to work that day, stocking isles of the local grocery store with random items and all that jazz. I'd already finished with college a few years before but I still couldn't sell any decent work. Actually, I'd started to become a bit depressed. Of course, nobody else could tell, it was natural for me to smile (still is), and I can't really manage to frown like others do when they get a little under the weather.

So I succumb to my passion--the very thing that I went to college for.

I paint.

I paint like crazy. Let's just say that it got to the point that my girlfriend broke up with me for "constantly getting paint all over the furniture and becoming such a recluse that you _never _take me out on dates!"

...Yeah. It was a little sad. But, it was at this point, that my friend started noticing something was up. So, a few weeks after the break up and having still not made more than 3 treks outside of my home, he burst through my front door in that obnoxious way of his (I actually don't think it's obnoxious--just his personality--but other people call it that, so...), his silvery hair and red eyes standing out amongst the recent turn of blues and greens that my apartment had been covered in.

"Yo, Antonio! It seems that you haven't been feeling all too peachy lately, so _I, _being the totally awesome friend that I am, have brought you your belated birthday present," I remember him saying.

I didn't even bother pointing out that my birthday wasn't for another 3 months and that he had already gotten me a gift for that year. It was pointless for me to do so--he would just ignore it.

So, after he disappeared out my door for a good couple of minutes, there was a man (I recognized him as my neighbor from a few doors over) carrying in a very large box. Gilbert followed along behind him, strutting in that way that was just _his _and with that smirk on his face.

I instantly suspected foul play on my neighbor.

Sending the poor man a sympathetic smile and thanking him for his help, I watched as he darted out the door, desperate to get away from my friend's all-seeing eyes.

He has that kind of effect on people sometimes.

After giving him a light scolding (I could never _really _be upset with him), I found out that the box actually held a brand new computer. I tried to get him to take it back, honestly, I tried. But that man... well, he's always been stubborn. Ever since we were kids... but that's a different story for another time.

After only an hour, Gilbert had the system up and running, complete with speaker connection and Internet connection in-tact, done with the task as if he were a pro. Though, if I remember correctly, I think he technically was one--he worked with software and stuff like that, so I suppose its only natural that he would feel comfortable around computers, wires, and their constant whirring. I'd never much cared for computers, but at that time, I supposed that it was only inevitable. The world was rapidly starting to center around computers and it wouldn't do to be left behind.

He showed me a couple of websites and how to work the thing... and I became a little fascinated. It wasn't as interesting as painting, but I couldn't help but feel that that computer, _that _piece of machinery, new and shiny, sitting upon my desk, would open up new possibilities.

A couple of days was all it took before I had figured most of everything out, surfing through websites like I'd been doing it all my life. There was one day, though, that I came across a website that drew my attention--a website that had a simple little symbol of a tomato in the upper right corner. It wasn't the fact that it had a huge number next to the 'hits' counter, nor was it the fact that it looked so professional and crisp. No, it was the fact that one of the blog subjects was over _my _artwork.

Me, an amateur having just made my way into the art world. I had no fame whatsoever, but this person, this blogger had found my artwork and spoken about it.

And liked it.

Before I really knew what I was doing, I had already created an account on the website (TurtlesAndTomatoes) and I was asking some questions, going against his claims and presenting some of the critiques that I'd received before.

And every single time I would find myself intrigued with his answers.

_January 2nd, 2008:_

_**TurtlesAndTomatoes: **__"Why exactly do you like his artwork? This particular piece of his is bland in color and barely shows any emotion."_

_January 3rd, 2008_

_**SleekPocketPicker: **__"On the contrary, I think the lack of color is what's interesting about this piece. It brings out the edges of each of the figures and it shows a lot of emotion. If I'm guessing correctly, I'd say he was in a pretty melancholy mood when he was working on this particular still life."_

_January 7th, 2008_

_**TurtlesAndTomatoes: **__"In my opinion, the distortion in the middle of this piece really offsets the balance and makes a rough feeling that's unpleasant to the viewer."_

_**SleekPocketPicker: **__"Really? I personally believe that it was supposed to be that way--that he planned it. Like a whirlwind of emotions, yes?"_

_January 30th, 2008_

_**TurtlesAndTomatoes: **__"Well, in this one, you can tell it's done by an amateur. The colors bleed together and clash in a very discordant fashion."_

_**SleekPocketPicker: **__"The clashing gives it a very vibrant feeling, showing emotions of passion and, at the same time, discord. It makes me think he was going through a hard time in his life when he was working on this one, but felt as if he couldn't give up--had to keep his passion._

_February 13th, 2008_

_**TurtlesAndTomatoes: **__"This is his worst one yet. There is no balance, no proper color assortment, and the shapes are so rough, that you can't tell one from another."_

_**SleekPocketPicker: **__"I beg to differ. I believe this is one of Mr. Carriedo's best works. The lack of balance, clashing color assortment and rough shapes give the viewer a sense of listlessness. Of not knowing where he's been or where he's going. Being lost and confused. This is actually one of my favorites. But I have a question for you, Mr. T&T..._

_Why do you seem so adamant in dragging this fantastic artist down?"_

I had no idea how to reply to that one. All of his answers had made me practically giddy--it was something that I always looked forward to after replying to one of his blogs over my art. He seemed to accurately understand the exact emotions I was going for and sympathetic with any sort of emotion that seemed to cry out. It was because of this mysterious blogger that I started to become my old self again--I was constantly smiling, never feeling down or depressed. I had regained my confidence in myself and my abilities because of this identity-quiet person.

How was I supposed to tell this person that I was criticizing my own work? That I was starting to want to get to know them in order to figure out what kind of person liked my art so much?

That I had, as cliché as it sounds, began to fall for them?

I simply couldn't do it.

So, I maintained silence on the website from that point forward. Resolving myself to merely reading his compliments and criticisms over my artwork, other people's artworks, and many, many other things.

About a month after receiving that jarring reply from S.P.P.--the day of my birthday--March 17th, I was being tugged out the door by my agent, leaving behind the glowing computer screen on the website I had become so familiar with. As I left my apartment, I never realized that SleekPocketPicker had just put up the status of: _"Going to see Mr. Carriedo's art show. Be back at a later time."_

**

* * *

**

Being back at one of my shows for the first time since I began discussing my artwork with S.P.P., I felt much more excited than I ever had before. I was pumping with energy, speaking with the people who happened to pause next to some of my works and getting their honest opinion from them. There was a point where I wandered off to the drink table, my tux starting to make me sweat and the urge to change rearing its head. Unfortunately, there was still a good hour or so before the show would be closed and the viewers escorted out.

I handed my glass back to one of the waiters and made my way back to the piece that I had put the most passion in and believed to be one of my best works. Actually, I allowed my thoughts and feelings of the mysterious S.P.P. to dictate my hand's movements, to create the piece of art that currently stood upon the wall in a vast canvas of reds and yellows and oranges, accented by a few mellow greens and violets and blues.

That's when I spotted him.

Just as I turned the corner to my prized painting, my eyes landed on a head of straight brown hair, the single curl that protruded to the side making stark contrast against the artfully-pale yellow of the wall. He had just stopped before that painting, pausing and focusing all of his attention upon the canvas.

I'm not sure what exactly made me watch him so intently... but I felt like I would regret not walking over there and talking to him. It was when I glimpsed the simple tomato sign on his messenger bag that I felt as if I had connected the dots.

It was the same symbol at the top of the website.

Shaking in a sort of excitement, I made my way over to his side and nearly forgot about my objective when hazel eyes looked over and locked with my own before giving a casual glance about my face, observing my dark waves of hair before snapping back to the artwork. A scowl had slipped onto his face the moment that I had alerted him to my presence. It was a little cute, to be honest.

I didn't realize I was talking until I registered the last of the sentence.

"So you really _do _like his work, Mr. SleekPocketPicker." I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my lips with these words and kept my eyes concentrated on the familiar piece of art, even when his eyes had turned on me.

He raised an eyebrow, giving me the feeling that this wasn't the first time that someone had picked him out of the crowd, but still generally curious. "And you are..?"

My mouth seemed to have a mind of its own as it answered in turn, "Oh, nobody in particular. Just an amateur artist that seems to have self-confidence issues but likes to go to blogs and criticize his own work. I was pleasantly surprised to find that someone really liked my work and felt he had to share." My smile slipped into something softer, more relaxed.

This time he blinked in true surprise, the scowl slipping from his face. He took a moment to regain his bearings before a slight smirk crawled across his features and took root and then he said, "Mr. T&T..."

Tearing my eyes from the art upon the wall, I gave him a bright smile and replied, "Ah, yes. But I prefer being called by my name in public--Antonio Carriedo--Antonio, if you will." I held out an amicable hand.

He shook his head with a soft chuckle and grasped my hand, giving it a soft shake. "Antonio, then. I'm Lovino Vargas. You can call me Lovino."

From that point, I couldn't help the mirth bubbling at the back of my throat, and before I knew it, I had burst into a short fit of laughter. For the last time that night, I looked back at the art that I had labored so many hours over, pouring my heart into for the person standing before me--a person that I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting face to face until mere moments ago.

Needless to say, that night, I had asked Lovino out, taken him to a little diner a few blocks over and gotten to know him better. We spoke about our passions and hobbies--how we had made it to this point in our lives.

A few years later, sitting quietly together after a long discussion of nothing in particular, Lovino turned to me and said quietly out of the blue, "You know, I don't think its that the Internet lets you become someone totally different... I think its just that it lets you show your inner-self without fear of being hurt... a lot like art."

And honestly, I couldn't agree more.

**You are not connected to the internet. Please check your connection and refresh the page.**

This was a really fun one to write. I'm not really sure, but I got into it... started up some music and only got up to go to the bathroom and steal some food. That's it. I feel kinda proud of myself... but my pinkies hurt. For some reason, they're always the ones that get sore the quickest after typing.

Meh. Who cares. Oh, and if someone wants to let me know the exact date that they totally pwned dial-up, I would be immensely thankful. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea when they upgraded the internet, so.... I just guessed. XD

Anyways. I think this is the first time I've written in first POV since... well.. years ago. Yeesh. I think I did an okay job, though.

I know Lovino seemed a bit out of character in the portion from Antonio's view, but I did that for two reasons: One--he was caught off guard, and two: the later part, he knows Antonio better and has 'been with' him for a longer period--not to mention he has a tsundere personality.

Anyone care to share their thoughts?

_Review,_

**Review,**

_**Review!!**_


	4. Ice Cream

Okies. This one was a bit more planned, but otherwise, it's also a "wing it" sorta fic. I really like the idea behind it though... 'cuz it just seems to fit the characters in the way that I have come to know them through writing them.

So... without further ado, here's the story. Hope you guys like it.

Started March 27th.

Completed March 30th.

**Authoress: **Desperatembrace

**Disclaimer(s): **I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. Plain, black and white. The end.

**Warning:**

Possible OOC-ness

Yaoi

Language

Sexual Content

Alternate Universe

**Oneshot Genre(s): **Humor, General, Romance, Angst

**Ice Cream**

**

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**

The soft tinkling of a bell chimed in with the light murmur of the cafe, blending in with the bright yet soft atmosphere. Two young men entered, one steering the other to a far-off table toward the back with a not-so-gentle leading hand. The older of the two, following along behind the blond, allowed his hazel eyes to slide around the open space of the establishment, taking in the quaint and cozy ambiance.

For once, he almost felt like his usual scowl would be unneeded in such a place, but he pushed the thought back. He wasn't about to start grinning or smiling like some fruit just because he came to such a homey-feeling place. Never.

He snapped from his thoughts when there was a sharp tug on his arm, looking up only to find his companion dropping heavily into a light blue booth. Just realizing that his arm had been released, he took the seat across from the blond, giving the man a bit of a confused glance for a moment before turning away, already knowing that there was little chance of him explaining himself.

Ludwig had always been like that.

His lover had shown up at his front door that day, announced that they were going on a date, and then promptly drug him out of the house and to a small cafe that was really close by but he'd never bothered to notice.

Scowl burning at full force, the brunette glared at the innocent window that their table was pushed up against, not even realizing that he had in fact scared a small child on the other side of the glass.

He and Ludwig had been dating for all of two years, living together in the younger man's rather nice little house. It was a rather relaxed relationship--not that he was complaining--but it lacked what all real relationships required.

Love.

Sure, he liked the guy. He was nice and all that jazz... attractive. But nothing really made him into an endearing mess. He didn't notice anything small about the man and he hardly felt like he knew him. It was rather pathetic for a two year relationship.

They spent the next few minutes in silence, each staring off at a different part of the shop before a rather energetic young woman stepped up to their table and said, "Hi! Welcome to S&F's cafe, serving everything from burgers to shakes and specializing in ice cream. I am Elizaveta and I'm going to be your waitress for today. So, what can I get for you handsome young men?"

She pulled a pen and notepad out of her apron pocket as she spoke and then looked at them both expectantly. Just as he Lovino had been about to open his mouth, Ludwig beat him to the punch.

"We'll both have this," he said, ignoring the look of incredulity coming from his lover as he pointed to a small picture in the corner of the menu. Elizaveta darted a glance to the older man before giving an almost cautious nod when she found a scowl stretching across his features.

"Alright, then..." She pocketed the items and wiped some sweat off on her apron, pivoting at only a minute angle on her foot and saying, "I'll be back with your meals shortly," and quickly hurried away.

Lovino fervently ignored the feeling of his lover's eyes boring into the side of his face, intending instead to keep staring out the window with a resolute firmness. They spent the next few moments in a complete and awkward silence, the light murmuring of other patrons serving as their only background noise. They both looked up when they heard a light squeak, eyes landing on their waitress just in time to see her very nearly topple to the ground along with their food.

Luckily, however, the girl quickly regained her footing, dusty-brown locks swaying around her face for a moment before she caught the couple's eyes and gave a precarious smile. A few steps from their table, the shop door opened, bell chiming pleasantly through the spacious room. A young man stepped into the establishment, light brown hair accented by a childish clip holding some locks out of his face, and a single, delicate curl, so much like his own.

Almost immediately, his blond partner's eyes were torn from their curvaceous waitress and glued onto the patron that had just walked in. Lovino gauged the man's reaction silently, a scowl no longer marring his features. Even as the plates were placed before them and after Elizaveth had excused herself, Ludwig's eyes were still following the young man around.

Before long, Lovino shook his head and turned to his meal, scowling when he realized that it was in no way _Italian. _Irritation creeping back once more, he viciously cut into his meal with his fork, eyes returning to the person who had just walked in, watching as he walked up to their waitress and gave her a very enthusiastic greeting.

"Feliciano.." he muttered, shoving a bite of egg into his mouth.

Ludwig's eyes always seemed to stray to his brother.

**

* * *

**

Just a few months after the little cafe outing, the two of them broke off their relationship. Actually, in all technicality, it was Lovino that had broken things off--and for good reason, too.

After all, wasn't that the normal thing to do when you come home to find your very naked lover entangled in the bed sheets with your equally naked brother?

Looking back on the whole mess, Lovino couldn't help but feel like giving a dark chuckle. It was funny, actually. When walking home to find something like that, most people would feel like they had been stabbed in the heart, right? Not him, though. Not even a single sliver of sadness. The only thing that he felt was a little bit of anger--but not at his brother--hell, not even at Ludwig. It was at the universe. It seemed like Fate had this fucked up idea that everything that he had needed to be taken away by his younger brother. Luckily, it was something that didn't hurt so much this time.

So when Lovino had stood in the doorway, staring at the two on the bed that were watching him with wide eyes, the only thing he said was, "Oh. Good luck, I guess." And he turned around and walked out of the house.

Now that he thought about it, he wasn't even really all that sure about what he meant when he had said "good luck".

Either way, he should have known given all of the covert looks that the blond had been giving Feliciano. It was only to be expected.

The few months after that had been hell, though. Being the social recluse that he was, Lovino didn't have all that many friends. He couldn't get in contact with his parents because they were out of the country and he didn't exactly want to go back home where his ex and brother were, so he officially had no place to live. After a few good and long hours of deciding and reconsidering, however, he finally steeled himself and bit back his pride.

He called Gilbert--the closest person he had to a friend.

At least, that's what the silver-haired, egotistical bastard called himself, but he himself would never say this out loud. The most he'd admitted to on their relationship was being acquaintances. Nothing more.

**

* * *

**

_Let it never be said that I can stand pretentious, ostentatious, head-up-the-ass bastards ever again._

A few weeks later found Lovino glaring at the brick wall of the cafe that he had visited with his ex a couple months back. The tables surrounding him were empty, all of the other patrons for that day stuffed at the other side of the establishment in order to avoid his glares of doom.

There was a light, sweet laugh above him, and then the chair across from him was being pulled out, a short, gentle-expressioned man settling into the seat. He tapped his fingers against the tabletop for a moment before raising a questioning eyebrow at the ice cream that he had been viciously downing. Lovino took a moment to swallow the lump of Pistachio and Almond ice cream in his throat. Closing his eyes momentarily against the onslaught of stabbing cold, he finally said, "Yeah... it's good."

The man before him gave him a dazzling smile and flicked his short blond hair out of his eyes. "I'm glad."

His name was Tino--one of the two owners of the shop. Lovino had actually come to really good terms with the two after the break up (mainly because he found himself wandering back to the cafe every two to three days). Tino tapped his palm against the table for a second before darting a covert glance Lovino's way, hastily turning to gaze at some random other patrons when the older man caught him.

Eyebrows raising of their own accord, Lovino stabbed his spoon back into the bowl before bringing another bite back to his lips, mouth watering when the addicting flavor touched his tongue. If he were perfectly honest, what he had said a few moments ago would easily be filed as a massive understatement. Ever since he had wandered back and decided to try some of their ice cream, he couldn't help but come back for more.

But then again, he wasn't exactly the most truthful person around.

Tino shook his head when Lovino seemed to slip into his thoughts before resting his head against his hand and clearing his throat. When he was sure he had the man's attention, he asked, "So how's life with Gilbert?"

The immediate scowl was his answer, and he couldn't help but giggle in return. "Still can't stand him, huh?" Before Lovino had the chance to answer, a young blond man with glasses called and waved his hand. "Tino..!" Sending the brunette a sympathetic smile, he ducked his head and stood before calling back, "Coming, Berwald!" and he hurried over to the counter to his co-owner.

He watched them with a spark of curiosity, feeling a pit consume his stomach when Tino planted a quick kiss on Berwald's cheek with a grin. Was that how it was to have a real relationship? All smiles and grins and happiness? It was so different from what he had with Ludwig...

Lovino shook himself from his thoughts violently, accidentally making the ice cream on his spoon fall to the ground with a 'plop'. Without his realizing, his eyes continued to follow the happy couple as they spoke animatedly with each other and then a customer that had interrupted them. As much as he hated to admit it, _that _was what he wanted. That feeling of contentedness from just being with somebody. With Ludwig, he'd felt so awkward and tugged around... practically inanimate. Now, he realized, there was no true feelings between him and the younger male.

Seeming to notice the metaphorical raincloud hovering over his person, Elizaveta stepped up with a soft smile and delicately sat in the seat that Tino had vacated. "It's frustrating, isn't it?" She darted a glance back to the two blonds obliviously hanging all over each other.

Allowing her eyes to stray back to him, just barely managing to catch the unreadable look that crossed his face, her eyes softened. Pushing a dusty-brown lock of hair behind her ear, she shifted in her seat before propping her chin upon her intertwined fingers, elbows locked firmly on the tabletop. "I had that feeling a lot before I found Roderich."

He had heard about Roderich quite often, even seen him a couple of times. Though he hadn't met the man, he was pretty sure he knew more than many people knew about him. Elizaveta seemed to hold a lot of pride in her fiance. If her constant stories about him was anything to go by, at least.

Lovino snapped from his thoughts when she said, "Don't worry. You'll find someone. Or.. who knows--maybe they'll find you." With that, she winked and then abruptly stood, twisting on her feet and prancing off to go wait on some more tables. Hazel eyes followed her movements for a moment before he scoffed to himself and then pushed back from the table, heaving himself to his feet. Without another word, he stomped out the door, already knowing that Tino wouldn't hound him on the bill for the ice cream.

**

* * *

**

Things were really starting to get repetitive for Lovino. In fact, things seemed to become absolutely redundant after he broke up with Ludwig. Shoving a spoonful of Death By Chocolate ice cream in his mouth, he swiped back a stray strand of brown hair as a mirthful sense of realization settled in. (Feliciano would probably faint if he realized that his brother wasn't eating gelato, but honest-to-God _ice cream_.)

Licking at the remaining bits of cream fastened to the spoon, he absent-mindedly allowed himself to sink back into thoughts once more. His break up was actually affecting him a bit more than he'd originally thought--though, not quite in the same way that one would offhandedly expect.

For the past couple of days, a sense of loneliness had begun to set in, shaking him to the core. He was usually the type of person to shy away from human contact, but that most definitely didn't mean that there weren't times when he wanted to really connect with someone... as cheesy as that sounded. A light growl escaped his throat, rumbling around the spoonful of chocolatey ice cream.

"Stupid potato bastard..." he muttered, swallowing the chilling lump.

Catching the sympathetic smile that Elizaveta shot him from halfway across the cafe, and the looks of worry from Tino and Berwald up at the counter, he felt his mood plummet even further. He didn't _want _to be pitied or worried about... not now, not ever. It was something that he simply despised. Resigning himself to grumbling quietly, he ducked his head and ate his ice cream slowly, never taking in the environment around him.

So he was reasonably startled, then, when he felt a light touch at his hand. Head snapping up, his eyes landed on vivid green orbs--the eyes of a man close to the same age as himself... sitting in the seat across his table.

Yes, needless to say, he was more than a little confused.

He glanced over the man, noting his tanned skin and wavy hair before he aimed a quick cursory look over one of his shoulders and then the other. Head still twisted a little awkwardly, he twitched slightly, wondering what exactly was going on.

Finally, he turned back to the stranger, straightening in his seat before narrowing his eyes and asking, "What the fuck do you want?" (Though, the way he said it made it sound more like a statement rather than a question.)

Emerald eyes blinked in a stunned fashion before a rumbling chuckle issued from him, making goosebumps break out across Lovino's skin and a shiver crawl up his back. He could already tell this man had a good voice... he cut the thought off, scowl slipping across his lips without any conscious thought as he fought back the light attraction, pecking annoyingly at the back of his head. What did it matter that the man was attractive? What he wanted was something much deeper than surface attraction, anyhow.

"Wow. You're very blunt, aren't you?" The yet un-named man leaned forward on a hand, elbow propped up on the table.

Lovino had to force himself to concentrate on the man's words rather than the sound of his voice. "Yeah, well, I'm not all that used to fucking weirdos randomly popping up at my table."

The man was unmoved, still grinning that grin of his. He would have thought it creepy if he didn't get the distinct feeling that the man wasn't of the corrupted type. (Lovino had quite a bit of confidence in picking those kinds of people out... after all, he _did _know Gilbert... and Francis...) It would also be creepy if the man wasn't attractive, but that was _definitely _not a matter to be discussed at that point. Another time, another place. Or not. Whatever worked, really.

He was startled from his thoughts (that seemed to be happening a lot lately) when the man leaned in a little closer and said, "Well, I'm not a weirdo. I'm Antonio. Antonio Carriedo."

Leaning back in an attempt to regain some of the lost space between them, Lovino forced himself to say, "Oh really, Antonio Carriedo. Well, that's nice. Now that we're all buddy-buddy, it would be fan-fucking-_tastic _if you would go the _hell _away." A glare was already burning across the table, backing up his not-quite-hostile-tinged words.

Pointedly ignoring the unsaid warning, Antonio continued. "So, what's your name?"

Gritting his teeth, Lovino slid his chair back with a screech, giving a jerky wave to a worried-looking Tino before stomping out of the door, leaving the handsome stranger, nosy and mysterious, to watch him trek out of the shop with a raised eyebrow.

**

* * *

**

That day was Mint Nittany ice cream day. He had always found himself rather fond of mint, but... this particular ice cream was just absolutely perfect. Because it was a perfect ice cream, it automatically defaulted his day to 'perfect' until something that came along changed it otherwise.

"Lovino!" He turned to the sound of his name, already dreading what he was going to see because of the familiarity of the voice. Indeed, he saw the man from the last time he had visited--Antonio.

Perfection ruined.

The wavy-haired man collapsed into the seat across from him, blowing out a bit of a sigh and aiming that bright smile of his at Lovino. Lovino, however, narrowed his eyes and bit out, "How the hell did you know my name?"

Just about that time, Tino passed by with a small platter for another table and he spontaneously began to whistle. _Spontaneous my ass_, Lovino scoffed to himself, narrowing his eyes after the short man hurrying away.

"Aww, come on. Don't be like that." Antonio thumped the table lightly, gaining his attention before tilting his head in a way that made his hair frame his face in a very appealing fashion. Looking away, Lovino scowled off at some unsuspecting patrons. He heard a chuckle and then, "So uncute." This, of course, only made his scowl more pronounced.

"I would very much appreciate it if you would _go away,_" he ground out, the words like acid on his tongue. This guy might have been attractive, but he was rapidly becoming _annoying._ Lovino disliked annoying things and annoying people. With a passion.

There was a moment of silence that passed between the two, strained and heavy. Antonio shifted in his seat before saying, "So you really like ice cream, don't you?" Lovino merely twitched in response. A pause, and then: "What kind of ice cream is it?"

Yet again, no response.

"I would have to guess Mint Chocolate Chip," the man pondered aloud, eyes blindly staring at the ceiling and a hand rubbing at his stubble-free chin.

"...It's Mint Nittany," he muttered. He didn't know why, but to mistake Tino and Berwald's ice cream was practically a sin. End of story.

Again, Antonio chuckled. Another moment of silence passed before he cleared his throat and just began to talk.

It started out with simple stuff.

"So, since you're not going to talk, I guess I will. I'm 25 years young, I lived in the country for most of my life..."

At first, Lovino couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. Why the fuck would he want to know about the man's life story? Actually, why the hell had the man chosen _him_ to pour his heart out to? Did he have some kind of _'Free Therapy' _sign stapled to his forehead? Because, last time he checked, people tried to avoid him and his all-repelling aura of doom .

After a while, though, Lovino found himself listening with a bit of interest. It was nice to really get to know somebody...

**

* * *

**

Sitting once more in the familiar seat of the cafe that was just a few more visits away from officially being labeled _'Lovino's spot'_, said young man swirled his spoon around the small plastic bowl, Black Cow ice cream slowly becoming less thick with each turn of the silverware.

Staring down at the mixing color, he bit his lip in thought. That Antonio guy was really weird. He didn't find the man all that annoying any more... though he did have his moments. But, still, it was very strange.

The man, without fail, always managed to show up on the exact same days that he did. At first, he didn't really notice this. But for the past couple of visits up to the shop, it had started as a dull throbbing at the back of the skull before he finally noticed it. Why was it that the man seemed to always know when Lovino would come? Lovino didn't have a schedule for when he came... he just came when he felt like it.

More specifically, when he felt like eating ice cream.

The shop bell chimed and, just as he suspected, the familiar head of hair swished as the man plopped down across from him--the damned grin still painted across soft-looking lips. Realizing his train of thought, Lovino darted his eyes away, covering his face with a hand in order to hide the flush that had no doubt taken his cheeks captive.

There wasn't any greeting or anything of the sort. Antonio merely continued with talking, just like he had all the other times before. He spoke about himself, about his past, and his hopes and plans for the future. He talked about popular controversial issues and he talked about small, stupid things. Anything and everything, really. But for some reason, Lovino found himself to be hanging onto his every word.

And frankly, it scared him.

**

* * *

**

A good half a year or so after his first meeting with Antonio, Lovino found himself sitting in the cafe once more, nursing a small bowl of Goo Goo Cluster ice cream. He didn't care that it was cold outside, with Winter fast approaching. The ice cream was damned delicious and that was all that mattered.

At this point, Lovino had already come to terms with Antonio. He was attracted to the man. He accepted that. He thought the man was funny and kind. He accepted _that_. He wanted to be with the man.

He _did not _accept that.

Lovino had come to terms with the fact that he was not going to pursue the handsome older man. Antonio was quite possibly the first person that he had ever truly managed to get to know. To connect with. He didn't want to scare him off with the possibility of a relationship. He didn't want to risk that. So he was going to put up with it and he was going to stay silent. Period. The end. No redoes.

He blinked back to reality only to find a hand waving back and forth in front of his face, said hand connected to the very person his thoughts had been lingering on. A light frown marred his features, a natural habit and defense, and he merely nodded and said, "Antonio." The wavy-haired male nodded in turn and gave a bright grin. "It's starting to get pretty cold out there, huh? I can't believe Christmas is only a month or so away."

Hazel eyes stared off to the side, an almost dull haze slipping over them. It was only a split second's hesitation before he nodded. He had never really liked the holidays. He never really spent them with anyone. Ludwig had always been busy during the holidays of both years (another major problem in their relationship), his parents were always out of the country, and his brother...

Well, he just didn't really want to spend all that much time with his brother. He loved the kid, but... he could only handle him in small doses.

Before Antonio had the chance to start into his usual spiel, Elizaveta popped up beside them, setting down a drink for Antonio with a smile and a nod before she paused in brief hesitation. It was only a moment before she pulled up a chair and sat down, eyes searching the counter before she caught Tino's gaze. Lovino watched as the young blond male made his way over, a little confused at what exactly was going on.

Tino stopped next to the table with a soft smile and gave both Lovino and Antonio a brief nod. Antonio had quickly been incorporated into their odd little group ever since he began badgering Lovino. There was a moment before Tino said, "Well, Berwald, Elizaveta, and I were talking... and we thought it would be nice to have a little get-together... well, _party _for Christmas between our group of friends. What do you guys think?" He spared a brief glance in Lovino's direction, probably already knowing that his answer would be anything but enthusiastic and instead turned to Antonio, who was nodding fervently.

"I think it would be fun!" He seemed to practically glow with excitement.

The rest of the evening was spent with the Antonio, Tino, and Elizaveta (with Berwald popping in every now and then) discussing the plans for the party, and Lovino finishing off his ice cream in a soft, watchful silence.

**

* * *

**

The party had started out great.

Everyone from the shop was there--Tino and Berwald, of course. Elizaveta showed up with her fiance, Roderich, and introduced him to the group. It was no surprise when Antonio showed up. Gilbert and Francis decided to tag along (more like barge in and force Lovino to come along). The group made full-circle introductions and everyone seemed to get along really well.

There was one thing that irked him, for some reason, though. He had no idea why, but... the meeting between Gilbert and Antonio just really put him on edge.

_Gilbert held out a hand and gave Antonio a disarming smile. "Hello, my name is Gilbert." _

_Antonio's face contorted into something unreadable before he gave a confused look to the silver headed man. "Wh--" He was interrupted when Gilbert hurriedly leaned forward and snatched his hand from his side. _

_"It's nice to meet you..." he drew the sentence out, waiting for an answer. Antonio continued to stare at him in bewilderment before something seemed to spark in his eyes. "Oh. Antonio... Nice to... meet you, too."_

_And with that, they both grinned and gave a sharp handshake._

There was a lot of talking and laughter and finally, Tino perked up from his seat and said, "Oh! You should see the gift that Berwald got me!" The rest of the group stood from their seats, eager to see this gift--even though it had been specified for no gift exchange at the party (seeing as quite a few people knew nothing about the others), they were still eager to see the gifts received from that morning.

While everyone made to get up and leave, Lovino remained seated, staring off at the far wall. Gilbert noticed this and, covertly, stomped on Antonio's foot before jolting his head in the lone brunette's direction. When everyone had disappeared into the kitchen of the cafe, Antonio lingered behind before making purposeful strides over to the quite younger man.

Blinking when he heard footsteps, Lovino looked away from the wall, gaze landing on the man he was so attracted to. Turning away, he muttered, "What?"

Antonio stayed quiet before responding, "Why aren't you getting up and looking like the rest of us?" The younger man maintained silence, not bothering to answer the question. What was the point? He was anti-social anyway.

For the first time, Antonio became truly frustrated, a frown sliding across his lips. He blew out a sigh before sinking onto his haunches and leaning forward slightly, mood lightening when he saw that Lovino no longer flinched like he used to when he got close. Sliding into his own thoughts as Lovino seemed to, Antonio reached forward and brushed a stray lock of hair out of the hazel-eyed man's face. When he did so, however, he accidentally brushed against the tell-tale curl, and the effect was almost immediate.

Lovino stiffened, back going rigid as his cheeks exploded with red. Head turning almost mechanically, the brunette fixed his eyes on Antonio as goosebumps erupted all over his body, and he murmured a low, "Chigiiiii...."

Antonio watched him with a sort of stunned surprise before he laughed, a soft smile crossing his lips before he closed the distance between him and the younger man.

The kiss was short and sweet, only lip to lip contact, but... it electrified every cell in his body. Lovino felt his head become heavy, arms and legs feeling a bit drained and he found himself almost on the brink of collapsing. When it all seemed to become too much, the lip-to-lip contact was severed and Antonio pulled away.

Biting his lower lip in confusion, Lovino stared at Antonio before he finally managed to stutter, "W-wha..?"

A chuckle, hands brushing the hair out of his eyes, and then: "You were being cute."

A grin was the only response that he received to his wide eyes.

When the group finally wandered back out of the kitchen, they all had grins that automatically put suspicion upon them in Lovino's mind. It wasn't until Gilbert asked Antonio how his mother was doing that he was able to connect the dots.

_Fucking Gilbert. Fucking Gilbert and his fucking schemes._

He shook his head, jumping slightly when he heard a loud crash and then an abrupt eruption of laughter from everyone at the table.

_Real relationships might not be all happiness and smiles_, he mused, watching Antonio pick himself off the ground, _but I don't need that bullshit, anyway._

When the vivid green orbs that he came to love so much landed on his own, Lovino noticed a grin stretch across the older man's lips. And he couldn't help but return a small smile of his own, throwing his previous thoughts of holding back out the window. From that point forward, Lovino made it a point to participate in the festivities, all soft smiles when he looked Antonio's way.

_Because I'm perfectly happy just like this._

**Shop closed.**

Holy SHIT! I had to go back and change a lot of the beginning because I thought that Ludwig was older than Lovino! But when I went back to check out some informational sites, I noticed that Lovino was actually 2 or 3 years older!

(Total WTF moment)

...I'm also a little curious as to why Lovino hasn't gained a bit of chub from all this ice cream that he's been eating... o.0 ... but we'll just say he has a fast metabolism. XD

Anyways. I have one more story that is going to be classified under Fluctuating Hearts. BUT! It **will not be posted on Fanfiction dot net**. It is mature in content, so if you want to read it, you will have to go to my Livejournal. (The link is located in my profile... as the 'homepage')

I am going to try to have this story done and posted by tomorrow--that is, the **day of Alorix's birthday.**

It is going to be her last and final gift so I'm going to try to get that done for her.

Oh yeah, and if anyone's curious, here's a little info on the random ice cream flavors that I used in here:

Pistachio and Almond--...this one's a little obvious.

Death by Chocolate--As the name suggests, it has enough chocolate to kill a horse. Chocolate Ice cream with chocolate flakes, fudge pieces and chocolate swirl.

Mint Nittany--Mint flavored ice cream with Oreo cookie chunks.

Mint Chocolate Chip--...Yeahhh... Not even gonna dignify that with an answer.

Black Cow--Vanilla ice cream with Root Beer sherbet swirl.

Goo Goo Cluster--Chocolate ice cream with chocolate covered peanuts with marshmallow and caramel swirls.

OH YEAH! Also, while looking up ice cream flavors, I found this 18 weird ice creams article... and this stuff was fucking _gross. _One of them was squid-ink ice cream. And that's one of the most normal ones listed. Chicken wing ice cream was a bit more up on the scale... -shudders- Just... no. (Funnily enough, a good deal of the listed ice creams were from Japan. XD ...Ah, those crazy Japanese.)

Okies. That was a really long author's note. Review?


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